Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric popularly used as a painting surface. It comes in two basic types: plain and duck. The threads in duck canvas are more tightly woven. In the United States, canvas is classified in two ways: by weight (ounces per square yard) and by a graded number system. The numbers run in reverse of the weight; so a number 10 canvas is lighter than number 4.
Canvas is typically made of one of two materials; linen or cotton, the former being derived from the flax plant and the latter from the cotton plant. Early canvas was made of linen, a sturdy brownish fabric of considerable strength. Linen is particularly suitable for the use of oil paint and is composed of higher quality material than cotton, and remains popular with many professional artists, especially those who work with oil paint.
In the early 20th century, cotton canvas, often referred to as “cotton duck”, came into use and is now the more common type used today. It differs from other heavy cotton fabrics, such as denim, in being plain weave rather than twill weave. Cotton duck, which stretches more fully and has an even, mechanical weave, offers a more economical alternative. The advent of acrylic paint has greatly increased the popularity and use of cotton duck canvas.
As alluded to above, canvas is typically stretched across a wooden frame called a stretcher, and may be coated with gesso before it is to be used; this is to prevent oil paint from coming into direct contact with the canvas fibers, which will eventually cause the canvas to decay. The stretcher is constructed of a plurality of interlocking stretcher bars. Unlike other types of frames, the corner joints in stretcher bars are not glued or fastened in any permanent way. This allows the canvas to be retensioned over time, as it has a natural tendency to stretch and sag over time. In contrast, strainer bars stretch canvas in a fixed (non-adjustable) way. Once constructed, a stretcher is usually in the shape of a rectangle, although shaped canvases are also possible.
Regardless of the shape of its perimeter, a stretched canvas is traditionally a planar structure intended for flush wall mounting. Although 3-dimensional objects often serve as a substrate for paint, the prior art is devoid of any stretched canvas structure that can serve as a substrate for both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional artwork suitable for display on both vertical and horizontal surfaces such as a wall and table, respectively. While 2-dimensional art can be observed in its entirety from a single vantage point and at a single moment in time, the beauty of 3-dimensional art is that it cannot be. Rather, it must be studied over time and in portions through movement of either the art or the observer. That 3-dimensional art cannot be seen in its entirety in a single moment adds to its intrigue. It is therefore desirable to have an art support medium that is convertible from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional form such that the art created thereon may be displayed and appreciated in both states at the owner's discretion.
The following additional U.S. patents and applications relating to folding displays and the like are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,209 entitled Overhead Media Display System; U.S. Pat. No. 3,267,597 entitled Hollow Foldable Display; U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,371 entitled Picture Frame; 20070080960 entitled Workflow System for 3D Model Creation; U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,621 entitled Flat Folding Promotional Structure; U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,373 entitled Card Display Frame; U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,139 entitled Hingedly Articulated Image Display panel Device; D552,851 entitled Folding Mirror; and D508,535 entitled Sign System. None of these references teach or suggest a stretched canvas substrate for art media such as oil paints and acrylics which said substrate is selectively convertible from a 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional form.
All patents, patent applications, provisional applications, and publications referred to or cited herein, or from which a claim for benefit of priority has been made, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of this specification.